Matt Smith Teases Return To Doctor Who

Could Matt Smith be returning to Doctor Who? The acclaimed actor made mention of the possibility in a recently published interview

By Doug Norrie | Updated

matt smith doctor who

It’s been almost a decade now since Matt Smith took his last trip in the TARDIS, finishing off his tenure in Doctor Who back in 2013. But could he be returning to the role, or maybe to the franchise, in some form or fashion? In a recent interview with Consequence, Smith let on that he was still very much open to coming back into the Doctor Who fold if things lined up correctly. In fact, he said that to start the process only one, pretty simple thing would need to happen. 

During the interview with Matt Smith, there was talk of his role in the now-playing Edgar Wright film, Last Night in Soho. But conversation, of course, drifted some to his time on Doctor Who and if he would ever consider getting back into the mix there. While no plans are firmly in place and this doesn’t seem to be in any kind of actual discussion, Smith was definitely open to the idea saying, “Well, you never know, do you? Someone would have to pick up the phone and ask me and then we take it from there.” He also reflected in an overwhelmingly positive way about his time on the show saying it was one of the “great characters in television” and taking part in the series was “just a thrill…”

It makes sense that Matt Smith would look back fondly at his time on Doctor Who. He starred in the role for three series from 2010 to 2013, He took over for David Tennant as the Eleventh Doctor when the latter began his regeneration to end his time on the show. Smith’s time on the series was met with near-universal critical acclaim, an especially impressive feat considering he was following Tennant who was an incredibly popular version among fans. Considering the quasi-oddball nature of Doctor Who, Smith most definitely looked and acted the part through his 44-episode run. He was replaced by Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor when it was all said and done. 

Matt Smith commenting on Doctor Who comes at another time of transition for the series. The Thirteenth Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker, will be wrapping up her time on the show sooner than later. It’s not known, at this point, who will replace her with even the actress being kept in the dark on that casting news. Her final run began last week, though there could be trouble brewing for the franchise with the opener debuting to just about four million viewers, down more than half from when she first started on the series. 

Though Matt Smith had nothing but good things to say about his time on Doctor Who, it’s unlikely we see him back in the fold in the short term. That being said, he isn’t the only one who’s hinted that a return could be in the cards. Following the announcement that Russell Davies was coming back to helm the next iteration, the aforementioned Tennant said to DigitalSpy, “never say never…”

As for Matt Smith, well he’s busier than ever these days. In addition to Last Night in Soho, he also has Sony’s Morbius finally hitting screens early next year. The first trailer dropped for that film earlier this week. And Smith is also part of another major production, taking one of the leads in House of the Dragon, the prequel series for HBO’s Game of Thrones. He might not have time for Doctor Who even if they asked him back.